Embrace Health Networkhttp://embracehn.com
Wed, 18 May 2016 21:51:49 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1Join us for the Clean Eating Circle!http://embracehn.com/join-us-for-the-clean-eating-circle/
http://embracehn.com/join-us-for-the-clean-eating-circle/#commentsMon, 18 Apr 2016 17:08:01 +0000Amy Griffithhttp://embracehn.com/?p=1434This 3 week program is designed to help you gain energy, lose foods that aren’t serving you and give your body a break from fatigue, fuzziness and feeling flustered. The Online Clean Eating Circle will help clean out the cobwebs and give your body a rest from foods that aren’t serving you. Join us on June 13 (start date) for the cleanse, and stay tuned for the free information call coming soon. Details can be found at The Online Clean Eating Circle webpage here.

Give your body a break. We will meet you where you are!

Embark on a fresh, new journey while gaining knowledge about what triggers your body, the best foods for you personally, and how to feel confident in your food choices

Gain nutrient density and lose some excess weight and inflammation

Get group support lead by two nutrition professionals

Enjoy eating real food while cleansing your body

No starving on this plan! And no expensive supplements or powders.

Join two Health Coaches and Nutrition Consultants, Michelle Dwyer and Amy Griffith, for an informative introduction to this dynamic and supportive clean eating circle.

What is Included in the free first information meeting? Details here: http://cleaneatingcircle.strikingly.com

Introduction to the circle and eating techniques around what foods we will focus on and which ones we will take a much needed break from for a while. ***If you can’t join us on for the free info meeting call, you can listen to the recording. You can still join our program and there will be more programs to come!

As a registered participant you will also receive:

Customized Oakland Clean Eating Circle materials, including recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and beverages, menu plans and ideas and BONUS recipes to help you make the most out of your three weeks within the circle.

We are here for you! Continued access to two of the East Bay Area’s premiere nutrition professionals: Michelle Dwyer and Amy Griffith. We are available to answer questions and support you throughout the three weeks.

Access to a weekly support group that will be crucial in helping you to stick with the program, sharing ideas and stories on how we are succeeding, and the challenges we are facing as we follow through this program.

Weekly check in calls where we will offer feedback, outlining ways to better utilize the program, and celebrating the ways in which you are already succeeding

Educational handouts, links and resources

Access to the private Facebook page

Why a food cleanse or clean eating group? You will learn…

How to effectively take a break from food products and common allergens, toxins and stressors

How metabolism, inflammation and your overall health and wellness relates to clean eating

How to cleanse gently and realistically

That you are worth it (if you didn’t know that already)!

Who Should NOT Cleanse

Those on heavy medications for chronic health conditions

Children under 18

Anyone with cancer, a terminal illness, serious mental illness, kidney or liver failure, anemia or who is underweight.

Your Clean Eating Circle Supporters:

Michelle Dwyer supports her clients through compassionate health coaching and nutrition consulting services. She helps her clients feel a greater sense of wellness, vibrancy, and energy.

Amy Griffith shows her clients how to love their food while still eating healthful, nourishing meals. She helps her clients fix their food first!

Visit http://cleaneatingcircle.strikingly.com for details.

]]>http://embracehn.com/join-us-for-the-clean-eating-circle/feed/0Cheater Persimmon Coconut Yogurthttp://embracehn.com/cheater-persimmon-coconut-yogurt/
http://embracehn.com/cheater-persimmon-coconut-yogurt/#commentsMon, 16 Nov 2015 21:33:29 +0000Amy Griffithhttp://embracehn.com/?p=1401A perfect Fall treat, and one that the babies and kids will love. I made this yogurt for my 11 month old son since we had run out of his usual sheep’s milk yogurt (which I have mixed fresh persimmon pulp into in the past). But it’s super simple, yummy, and there is no fancy store bought yogurt maker needed.

First off, procure your persimmons. This might be an easy thing to do depending on where you live, but here on the west coast, in Northern California, many people have persimmon trees in their yards. They are beautiful trees and usually grow one of two kinds of persimmons: Fuyu or Hachiya. Fuyu are more squat than round, and ripen quicker (they just need to be a bit soft, like a ripe pear, for you to enjoy their sweet flesh, eaten like an apple, skin and all). Hachiya’s are tricky; this is the variety that you have to be more careful with when it comes to ripeness. They are taller and more of a rounded heart shape with a pointed end. They are not ripe unless they are extremely soft and pillowy to the touch. The skin can break very easily and can let pulp ooze out very quickly if you don’t process them or eat them right away upon ripening. Here are two videos, one of how ripe a Hachiya must be to use it for cooking and another shows me blending the pulp and skin into pure persimmon liquified gold!

Many people make persimmons cookies or persimmon pudding; delicious for the holidays. I find that the actual taste of the persimmon is lost is some baked goods since too much sugar is added and, arguably, not enough actual persimmon is added to the recipe for you to even differentiate the persimmon taste from just a sweet taste. But persimmon pudding, in all of it’s buttery, sugary and boozy goodness, is delectable. Now for the yogurt…

We will be using the pulp (skin included) of the Hachiya persimmon for this yogurt, because it is so sweet and has the texture of jelly. You don’t need much of it to make something taste very sweet and fruity.

Blend together the coconut milk, persimmon pulp and probiotic powder. Eat right away, or store in fridge and let thicken a bit. Either way, you have yogurt.

Now you can say you made your own yogurt! Embrace your probiotics.

]]>http://embracehn.com/cheater-persimmon-coconut-yogurt/feed/0The Multivitamin Diethttp://embracehn.com/the-multivitamin-diet/
http://embracehn.com/the-multivitamin-diet/#commentsThu, 17 Sep 2015 17:14:18 +0000Amy Griffithhttp://embracehn.com/?p=1388I decided to create a one day meal plan that provides, by eating whole foods, the same nutrients, and amounts of those nutrients, that eight capsules of Thorne Nutri-Fem multivitamin in one daily dose provides. This is a reminder that we should always use supplements as a supplement to real food!

24 nutrients, one days worth of food, 100% of daily recommended value of each nutrient to equal what you would get in a multivitamin. I used whfoods.org to help me with the menu plan listed at the bottom.

]]>http://embracehn.com/the-multivitamin-diet/feed/0Lean Cuisine? More like Sugar Cuisinehttp://embracehn.com/get-ready/
http://embracehn.com/get-ready/#commentsWed, 12 Aug 2015 22:01:53 +0000Amy Griffithhttp://embracehn.com/?p=1373This is a bit of a rant, but an educated and gentle rant. I will try to keep it relevant and succinct.

While searching for new “food” movies on the web, I found a 1 hour British documentary called The Truth About Sugar; non-alarmist, very civilized, almost fun to watch and educational. As I watched, recalled an ad for Lean Cuisine that I saw at some point. This ad struck me because I had a baby 8 months ago in a hospital and had an amazing and very positive experience, especially with he delivery nurses. Please watch and then read on. Here is the ad.

Yes, certain jobs are more stressful and ask more of us than others. And we could argue that doctors, nurses, and teachers should get paid more than other occupations because of how much they serve and give of themselves, or at least get more time and coverage for self care. I wish for doctors and nurses a healthier lifestyle because of the responsibilities that come with their jobs. Donuts in the break room is the last kind of fuel anyone needs.

Getting back to the ad, first let’s look at how much sugar a particular meal contains. Let’s break down, using a Nutrition Facts label, TOTAL CARBOHYDRATES into DIETARY FIBER in grams (doesn’t count, it’s good for you. The more the better), SUGAR in grams and the leftover CARBOHYDRATES that don’t get a label, STARCHES (which essentially turn into sugar when they hit your mouth). The very outdated Nutrition Facts labels are hard to understand. What do they mean and why should we care?

So to get back to the ad for Lean Cuisine, here is a simple comparison that is alarming. A Lean Cuisine meal of macaroni and cheese, when looking at the Nutrition Facts label here, tells us there are 35 grams of TOTAL CARBOHYDRATES, and only 1 gram of those is DIETARY FIBER. We also read that there are only 5 grams of SUGAR. BUT WAIT! and this is the most important part: what about the rest of those TOTAL CARBOHYDRATES not accounted for? STARCH (they just don’t label it on the label where it should be labeled). What this basically translates to is that there are 34 grams of carbohydrates (or just under 9 teaspoons of sugar) in the form of sugar and starch, that breaks down in your mouth very quickly into glucose, or refined sugar in one form or another. So, keep that fact in your head: one Lean Cuisine Macaroni and Cheese has 34 grams of starch and sugar combined that break down in your body into sugar, essentially.

How does this compare? This is the fun part: a Hershey bar. It has 25 grams of carbs – total, only 1 of which is DIETARY FIBER, 24 grams are SUGAR. So – Lean Cuisine macaroni and cheese, advertised as a healthy meal for a hard working delivery nurse who might benefit from a well rounded and whole food meal, is getting 10 more grams of CARBOHYDRATES in her meal than if she just ate a Hershey bar for dinner.

All I can say is yikes. Embrace real food, my friends.

]]>http://embracehn.com/get-ready/feed/0Hello Again and Mash upshttp://embracehn.com/hello-again-and-mash-ups/
http://embracehn.com/hello-again-and-mash-ups/#commentsWed, 15 Jul 2015 17:30:59 +0000Amy Griffithhttp://embracehn.com/?p=1362The first time I heard the phrase “mash up” was during a Glee episode when certain songs that might or might not seem like they had anything in common were intertwined to make an (obviously) danceable mega-song. I like this concept. And organically, this is how I have been making my 7 1/2 month olds’ food since he started eating more solids (we started around 5 months).

And, this is my first blog post in quite some time. In the past year we took on a puppy and a baby, and I chose to step away from my nutrition practice for a while (at least full time) and take care of the LG (“Little Guy” as my friends’ kid calls him). Yep, it’s hard, shakes your nerves, forces you to run on very little sleep and makes you question who in the heck this person is in the mirror with saggy boobs, dirty hair and milk stained clothes, but is it worth it? Yes. It is. And I have no complaints but just to say how you don’t know what you don’t know until you know what being a parent is all about. It’s quite the ride already. Ok, on to the food.

The LG’s first food was a simple liver pate, via Nourishing Traditions (runnier than a traditional pate). Yes, I wanted to make a point and feed him a very iron rich food that wasn’t iron fortified rice cereal. Baby’s iron stores start to diminish around 6 months, so I took the opportunity to see how he would respond to such a taste and texture as this. I ended up mixing it with a touch of apple sauce (no sugar added) and then rotated between that and avocado for the first couple of days. He started to love it and really eats anything (I think he is just really motivated by food). I am lucky.

I should also mention that I make a lot of the baby’s food from the food I am making for our household. For example, when cooking salmon for dinner, I just take chunks from our food and make his concoctions. Note: it has taken me (still a work in progress) a couple of years to make cooking a major priority in our house. Our largest household budget line item is food, and we cut back elsewhere to afford the quality of food we want. I think we are also lucky I like to cook.

Sardines and peas, made ahead and frozen

The last of the sweet potato and kale mash up

Other (in no particular order, no added sugar, water and cooked on lower heat if possible):

Peaches (with skin) and pastured egg yolk cooked in raw coconut oil

Steamed broccoli with goat butter

Avocado alone, or with a bit of apple sauce, mashed banana or just cooked pear (sometimes mixing in beet kvass, or fermented beet juice)

Cow (St. Benoit) or sheep (usually sheep) plain yogurt, plain, or with apple, pear, banana, or pickled figs mixed in (a yummy Good Eggs product). Also have added ground cinnamon, ginger and clove to this concoction

quinoa cooked with broth not just water, alone or mixed with banana and avocado (this is the only grain he has had thus far)

sauteed pear in goat butter, mashed up and mixed with sheep’s milk yogurt

blueberries to help him start to find his his pincher fingers and practice picking up food that size

I also add in an infant powdered probiotic from Klaire Labs to some of the cold mash ups that aren’t yogurt every once in a while to get other forms of healthy bacteria working in that little body of his. And the kid hasn’t been sick yet!

We haven’t checked peanut butter, strawberries, other beans or grains yet, but will get to strawberries and peanut butter (homemade) in the coming week or two. I can’t help but be nervous about peanut butter, but I have a feeling he won’t be allergic.

The next foods I want to try will be beets in some form or another, and chicken with some kind of vegetable. Excited to see how things progress!

Embrace a nourished palate!

]]>http://embracehn.com/hello-again-and-mash-ups/feed/0The Ultimate Pregnancy Smoothiehttp://embracehn.com/the-ultimate-pregnancy-smoothie/
http://embracehn.com/the-ultimate-pregnancy-smoothie/#commentsTue, 16 Sep 2014 23:50:09 +0000Amy Griffithhttp://embracehn.com/?p=1350No, this isn’t your ticket to getting all of the nutrients you need to produce a healthy baby in one smoothie (your body knows how to do that naturally anyway, and will get what it needs from your body, so replenishment is key…but that’s another post). What this recipe absolutely is is a healthier version of a chocolate milkshake, showcasing healthier carbs and satiating sugar cravings. If I had to have something that tasted like a Wendy’s Frosty during a pregnancy craving, I had to make it more healthful while also indulging my sweet tooth. One smoothie (which could serve two, really, but I drink it all in one sitting) balances some solid protein (about 35 grams) with healthy fat (65 grams) and sugar/carbs (75 grams) – a bit more carbs than I would usually eat . Please take note that while pregnant, one should really not think about eating for two, per say, but think about eating for 1.2. Also, upping your calories by 200-300 calories per day is ideal; breastfeeding is where you can go up to 500-700 added calories depending on your hunger, since you are producing your baby’s nourishment and burning so many calories.

Anyone would like this recipe if you are hankering for a sweet, chocolate treat. Enjoy!

5 tbsp chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life which are gluten, dairy, soy and nut free)

2 heaping tbsp sunflower seed butter

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1/2 banana

1 cup goat milk

1/2 cup water

1 heaping handful of ice

Blend until thick and smooth. Pour and save half for later or drink the whole thing if eating for 1.2!

]]>http://embracehn.com/the-ultimate-pregnancy-smoothie/feed/0Recipe from the Radio: Homemade Chocolate and Turmeric Smoothiehttp://embracehn.com/recipe-from-the-radio-homemade-chocolate-and-turmeric-smoothie/
http://embracehn.com/recipe-from-the-radio-homemade-chocolate-and-turmeric-smoothie/#commentsFri, 29 Aug 2014 14:33:40 +0000Amy Griffithhttp://embracehn.com/?p=1337I had the pleasure of joining Johnell McCauley on Eat Great Live Well radio. During the interview, we discussed some of my favorite, lower sugar but ultimately delicious healthful desserts: homemade chocolate and a sweet turmeric milkshake (trust me – don’t knock it until you try it!). Check out the interview here!

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth, adding more turmeric or ice to get desired taste and consistency.

]]>http://embracehn.com/recipe-from-the-radio-homemade-chocolate-and-turmeric-smoothie/feed/0Join The Online Clean Eating Circle to Change Your Lifehttp://embracehn.com/join-the-online-clean-eating-circle-to-change-your-life/
http://embracehn.com/join-the-online-clean-eating-circle-to-change-your-life/#commentsTue, 15 Jul 2014 17:27:07 +0000Amy Griffithhttp://embracehn.com/?p=1325This 3 week program is designed to help you gain energy, lose foods that aren’t serving you and give your body a break from fatigue, fuzziness and feeling flustered. The Online Clean Eating Circle will help clean out the cobwebs and give your body a rest from foods that aren’t serving you. Join us on June 13 (start date) for the cleanse, and stay tuned for the free information call coming soon. Details can be found at The Online Clean Eating Circle webpage here.

Give your body a break. We will meet you where you are!

Embark on a fresh, new journey while gaining knowledge about what triggers your body, the best foods for you personally, and how to feel confident in your food choices

Gain nutrient density and lose some excess weight and inflammation

Get group support lead by two nutrition professionals

Enjoy eating real food while cleansing your body

No starving on this plan! And no expensive supplements or powders.

Join two Health Coaches and Nutrition Consultants, Michelle Dwyer and Amy Griffith, for an informative introduction to this dynamic and supportive clean eating circle.

What is Included in the free first information meeting? Details here: http://cleaneatingcircle.strikingly.com

Introduction to the circle and eating techniques around what foods we will focus on and which ones we will take a much needed break from for a while. ***If you can’t join us on for the free info meeting call, you can listen to the recording. You can still join our program and there will be more programs to come!

As a registered participant you will also receive:

Customized Oakland Clean Eating Circle materials, including recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and beverages, menu plans and ideas and BONUS recipes to help you make the most out of your three weeks within the circle.

We are here for you! Continued access to two of the East Bay Area’s premiere nutrition professionals: Michelle Dwyer and Amy Griffith. We are available to answer questions and support you throughout the three weeks.

Access to a weekly support group that will be crucial in helping you to stick with the program, sharing ideas and stories on how we are succeeding, and the challenges we are facing as we follow through this program.

Weekly check in calls where we will offer feedback, outlining ways to better utilize the program, and celebrating the ways in which you are already succeeding

Educational handouts, links and resources

Access to the private Facebook page

Why a food cleanse or clean eating group? You will learn…

How to effectively take a break from food products and common allergens, toxins and stressors

How metabolism, inflammation and your overall health and wellness relates to clean eating

How to cleanse gently and realistically

That you are worth it (if you didn’t know that already)!

Who Should NOT Cleanse

Those on heavy medications for chronic health conditions

Children under 18

Anyone with cancer, a terminal illness, serious mental illness, kidney or liver failure, anemia or who is underweight.

Your Clean Eating Circle Supporters:

Michelle Dwyer supports her clients through compassionate health coaching and nutrition consulting services. She helps her clients feel a greater sense of wellness, vibrancy, and energy.

Amy Griffith shows her clients how to love their food while still eating healthful, nourishing meals. She helps her clients fix their food first!

Visit http://cleaneatingcircle.strikingly.com for details.

]]>http://embracehn.com/join-the-online-clean-eating-circle-to-change-your-life/feed/0Homemade Dog Food: It’s What You Should Eat, Toohttp://embracehn.com/homemade-dog-food-its-what-you-should-eat-too/
http://embracehn.com/homemade-dog-food-its-what-you-should-eat-too/#commentsThu, 03 Jul 2014 18:05:47 +0000Amy Griffithhttp://embracehn.com/?p=1316Last Saturday, we picked up the first new addition to our growing family: Jasper the golden doodle. He is a joy, a challenge and…the most precious dog I have ever seen (as anyone says about their dog or pet).

With his pick up from the breeder, we received a lot of lovely things to help him grow into a great family dog, including a bag of very nice dog food. It has a lot of added nutrients and, along with the multi-vitamin the breeder recommends, we feel all set to provide our dog with vital nutrients.

Yesterday, I went on to order more of the dog food. It isn’t terribly expensive, but I was curious about DIY dog food, as I have been curious about everything DIY and from scratch. There are tons of resources and recipes, and they are fairly simple. I compared to the list of ingredients in the dog food that was provided for Jasper to what it would take to make my own, and here is what I came up with:

Contains a source of live (viable), naturally-occurring microorganisms.

Many of the homemade recipes call for ground chicken or turkey, brown rice, carrots or pumpkin and peas or broccoli, and maybe flax meal. Sounds like a yummy dinner for a human! Here is how the portions should be weighed out per ingredients:

MEAT/PROTEIN: (2 1/2 cups) At least 50 percent of a dog’s diet should be composed of protein. Organ meat, such as liver and kidney, should be fed to your dog a few times a week. You may use ground beef, chicken, lamb, turkey or any other type of meat your dog likes. Add a bit of olive oil to cook, but no spices, salt and pepper.

VEGETABLES AND GRAINS: (2 cups) Dogs may also eat grains, root vegetables and green vegetables, as long as these items are thoroughly cooked. Use white or brown rice, mashed potatoes, oatmeal or barley. Cook a few minutes longer than you normally would to make it easier for your dog to digest.

OTHER VEGETABLES AND FRUIT: (1 1/2 cups) Use fresh or frozen fruit or vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, squash, broccoli, spinach, peas, carrots, bananas, or berries. Boil them until they’re completely soft, then transfer them to a blender and puree until smooth.

CALCIUM: (1/2 tsp) Dogs need a lot of calcium to build healthy bones, so its important to add it to their daily diet. Crushed eggshells or bone meal you can buy at pet stores.

Place the portions you don’t serve right away in airtight food storage containers and refrigerate them until serving time. Of course, organic ingredients are ideal, and the amount of food you feed your dog in one sitting should be checked according to his/her size.

Breakfast can be tough. It has been hard for me lately because eggs used to be a staple for me: the perfect food with nutrients like omega 3 fatty acids, choline, selenium and biotin, not to mention a perfect combo of protein in the white and healthy cholesterol in the yolk. But I can’t eat them anymore – all bad things happen, I will just leave it at that. I was eating a lot of eggs, and I think became pretty intolerant.

So…I made egg free muffins ahead of time yesterday to toast and serve with coconut milk and blueberries this morning. This is a great way to plan ahead and set yourself up for a filling and satisfying breakfast. I found this recipe that sounded delicious and filling, with a base of fresh almond meal made from raw almonds and lots of banana goodness. I added ground clove, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, because I love that combo of spices. Want a new breakfast challenge? Make the muffins ahead, maybe on a Sunday afternoon, and have for the rest of the week, freeze the muffins you don’t eat right away and feel good that you thought ahead!

To serve, I sliced a muffin in half, toasted in the toaster oven, smothered in ghee, added blueberries (in season, they aren’t very expensive – even the organic ones) and coconut milk. A nice yogurt would also be an awesome addition of more protein to the mix.